Tips For Getting The Most From Your Garden

~ craigb

TIP! Slowly acclimatize your plants to the outside environment to keep from shocking them. Put the plants outside in the sun for one to two hours in the beginning.

Organic horticulture presents special challenges to overcome. This is especially true if you want to garden naturally. You may need to learn everything from soil pH to controlling pests without chemicals. It can be difficult to switch to organic horticulture methods for a beginner. Keep reading to find out how the professionals do it.

TIP! Plant seeds in pots that have a rich soil to give them a strong start. They are more likely to survive the transition to adulthood with this method.

Sod should be laid correctly. Start by preparing your soil with care. Pull all the weeds and loosen the soil so the new roots can take easily. Lightly, but firmly compact the soil, making sure it is flat. Water the soil until it is saturated. You should lay your sod staggered, and have the joints offset. After the sod has been flattened to an even surface, you can use soil to fill any remaining gaps. Water your sod daily for a fortnight, which is enough time for it to root and be able to withstand foot traffic.

TIP! When you mow your lawn, do not mow it close to the ground. When the grass is a little longer, the roots will be stronger and the lawn becomes more resistant.

Clay soil can be a real pain to work with as it often sticks to the end of the shovel. To make digging clay soil easier, try applying a light coating of wax, either car wax or floor wax, and then buff off and commence digging. The clay won’t stick to it, and the end will not rust as an added bonus.

TIP! If your soil is highly alkaline, try mixing used coffee grounds into the soil. This is an easy and inexpensive solution to increase the acid content back into the soil.

Keep an eye open for stink bugs in your garden, especially during the fall months. These bugs like to eat beans, peppers, tomatoes, and many kinds of fruits. If kept unchecked they can certainly do a ton of a damage to your garden so you should do what you need to to reduce their population.

TIP! Protect your delicate shrubs from harsh, wintry elements. If you’ve got tender shrubs which are potted, you need to protect them from cold weather.

A green garden needs to begin with seeds, not plants. This is a more sustainable way to start a garden. Many of the plastics used for horticulture simply end up going in the trash and clogging land fills. An environmentally-friendly garden is started with seeds or plants grown in organic pots.

TIP! Get gardening knee pads if you have low-growing plants. You will end up spending a good deal of time on your knees and this can cause a lot of pain by the end of the day.

Using pest-resistant plants or natural materials in your garden is a good way to keep pests away. Slugs are repelled by bordering your vegetable garden with either onions or marigolds. Insects can be deterred if you use wood ash instead of mulch around trees and shrub seedlings. These methods prevent use of harsh chemicals.

TIP! Your plants should always be kept in an aerated, dry area. Moisture on your plants is a sure way to attract parasites and disease.

Use only pesticides designed to kill the specific type of pest in your garden, and avoid the broad-spectrum kind. Broad-spectrum pesticides not only kill pests, but also “good” bugs like ground beetles that eat pests. The helpful insects in your garden can be highly sensitive to pesticides and if their population goes down, the harmful insect population will grow. If this happens, you just fuel an expanding cycle of needing even more pesticides.

TIP! An excellent garden shouldn’t begin from plants. They should begin from seeds.

Choose a plant as a focal point. Gardens are like art; you need to give the piece (or garden) an initial focal point. It is usually a type of plant that stands out from the plants surrounding it.

TIP! Give them a boost by watering them with the cooled water that is left after steaming vegetables. For gardenias and rhododendrons, try putting your used coffee grounds or tea bags in the soil so they may acquire the acid they need for proper growth.

Water your garden wisely. Utilize a soaker hose. This saves time as you need not water each plant one at a time with the nozzle of a hose or with a watering can. Use low water pressure for your hose so that you do not cause harm to the tender members of your garden. You can take care of other tasks or just relax while your plants are automatically watered for an hour or so.

TIP! You don’t have to plant just for spring and summer. Consider what are often beautiful colors in the fall.

Avoid sun damage by dressing appropriately whenever you will be gardening in the sun. Wear sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses. Protecting yourself from the sun will lower the possibility of sunburn and skin cancer.

TIP! To draw good insects to your garden, plant heather. Bees are naturally attracted to heather for its nectar.

Heat softens vegetables, so you can damage them immensely by pulling them out of the ground or cutting them off vines when it is too hot outside. Use garden shears to remove your vegetables from the vine to avoid damaging the plant.

TIP! Coffee grounds are a good addition to your soil. Your plants will thrive from the nitrogen contained in the grounds.

Protecting your knees while horticulture is essential. Many people find it difficult to bend over for extended periods of time when standing up. Kneeling is much easier on your body, and helps you tend to your plants without hurting your back. Place a cushioning kneeling pad on the ground or wear knee pads to make kneeling more comfortable.

TIP! Get the most out of what you have, and your property. Of all the home improvement options that you might consider, landscaping is the most cost effective.

Maximize your time by keeping your tools close. You could do this by using a big bucket, or just wear old pants that have some deep pockets. Have gloves, shears, a trowel and anything else you need handy for quick use.

TIP! A good general rule when planting your seeds into containers is that the depth of the planting should be about three times the size of the seed. There are exceptions to this rule though, as some seeds need direct sunlight to grow.

Use approximately two or three inches of natural, organic material as some mulch in every single flower bed. Doing this keeps weeds down, keeps the moisture in your plants, and gives more nutrients to the plants. It will also make your flower beds look more finished.

TIP! Use a beer trap to get rid of unwanted pests, like slugs. Start by burying a wide-mouth jar in the soil, ensuring that the rim of the jar is just at the soil’s surface.

If you want to sell your crops as organic, you should look into obtaining a certification proving that you are an organic garden. This can boost sales and tell loyal customers that you’re providing the best to them.

TIP! Grow organic garlic. Cloves should be planted whole during the fall or early spring months.

Now, you shouldn’t get your hopes up and believe that a few tips are going to turn you into an instant professional gardener. However, these tips are a great starting point if you do plan to grow organically. As you implement these tips and hone your skills, you’ll be a professional green-thumb-holder in no time.